Dragons, dragons, dragons! They are in all kinds of games, nowadays -making for a fun theme, and a theme for some to rant against. Along comes a game called Dragonland (Rio Grande or Ravensburger games, 2002 - Reiner Knizia) that looks like a fun game about dragons - aimed at children, it would appear. And is the game for children? Well, certainly yes, but it makes a very fun, quick game for adults, especially for two players. Beautiful bits, nice artwork, and a dice tower make Dragonland a fun, fairly strategic game. Let's go over the rules together, shall we? A board is set up in the middle of the table, with volcanoes scattered around on it. Each volcano has two numbers on it, one for eggs, and the other for jewels. Cardboard counter eggs are placed on the volcanoes according to the numbers, as well as random plastic jewels. There are four types of jewels: rubies (red), emeralds (blue), sapphires (green), and diamonds (white). A pile of cardboard discs are shuffled and placed face down, one on each volcano. Each player takes three wooden pieces of one particular shape, one each of green, blue, and red. They also receive a "treasure vault" shield to hide their gotten treasures behind. They also get three tokens that they place face-up in front of their vault. The dice tower is set up, and the game is ready to go! The oldest player goes first, and then play proceeds clockwise around the table. On the initial round, each player moves a piece onto the board. (The board consists of paths of stones between the volcanoes, and there are three entrances onto the board) After that, on a turn, a player rolls two dice - dropping them into the top of the dice tower, and looking at the results. (The dice faces are: Die 1 - 1,2,2,2,3,3 and Die 2 -2,3,3,4,4,4) The player then moves two of their tokens on the board, one for each die rolled. They may move the amount of spaces shown on the die or lower. A token does not have to move at all. If the token lands in a volcano space, it reveals the hidden cardboard disc on that volcano. After moving, if a player's tokens are in a volcano, the player may take treasure from that volcano. They may take either one egg (and the token, if it can be removed), one diamond, or all the gemstones that match the color of the token. There are different tokens found throughout the volcanoes, as well as three that the player begins with. Each of these tokens have different functions: Change Destiny: This can be played after the dice are rolled, to reroll them. Boatman: Some volcanoes are connected by rivers. These tokens let a player move along the rivers during the movement phase. Extra Steps: Allow a player to move three more spaces. Magic Hand: Allows a token to take treasure twice on a turn. King's Dragon: This token cannot be taken by a player. There are three of these dragons, one of each color. If a token is on the same volcano as the same color dragon, and they roll a "4", they can fly to any other volcano. If a player rolls a "4", they may also summon one of these King's dragons to their current volcano. Ring: This token cannot be taken by a player. A player on this volcano, instead of taking treasure, may take a ring (a small plastic washer placed on the token). Small Dragon: A player may use this token to summon a King's dragon, or to move to a volcano containing a King's dragon. When a player takes the last egg on the board, the game is over and points are tallied. Each player receives ten points for each set they have. A set is comprised of an egg, a red jewel, blue jewel, and green jewel. Diamonds are wild, and may be used to take the place of any colored jewel. A player only receives points for a color of jewels if their matching colored token has a ring, however! Any eggs or jewels that are not part of sets are worth only one point. The player with the most points is the winner! Some comments on the game: 1). Components: The components in this game are absolutely incredible. The board is very well designed and is covered with beautiful artwork. The dice tower and player shields are very well designed, and have castle artwork, adding thematic flavor to the game. The egg tokens are small, but easy to spot on the board. The jewels look like small semi-clear colored beads, and really give off the indication that they are jewels. The other tokens are easy to see and distinguish. The tokens are especially interesting, as a player goes by the shape of their tokens (a cone, hourglass, tower, and midget) rather than the color. The rings fit snugly on the pieces, and during game play, everything looks really good together! Not to mention the fact that it all fits in a nice plastic insert that fits in a wonderfully illustrated, sturdy box. Tremendous quality of pieces here! 2). Rules: The rules are printed on eight pages, with many illustrations and examples. The format is excellent, and I found them very easy to read (as opposed to some game companies' rules). I was able to teach the game in about 5 minutes, and everybody picked up on the basic strategies quickly. The rules also include a couple variants, as well as an interesting history of the Tower of Destiny (dice tower). 3). Dice Tower: Is this necessary to the game? Of course not, but it does add a lot to the game. I think games like Dragonland, Wallenstein, and others with dice towers are fine, fine games - but the dice tower just adds to the overall fun factor. Even if I knew that Dragonland stunk - and it doesn't - I might still get it just for the dice tower. 4). Kids and Adults: The game may tend to have a very "kiddish" feel at first. Adults may find themselves wondering at just how basic the game is. For this, I note two things. One, a game with simple rules need not necessarily be a simple game. Two, there are several different strategies a player can take in this game - more if there are fewer players. 5). Strategy: I still haven't found the optimal strategy. Should I move one colored piece around the board, picking up as many of one color as a can, preventing the other players from completing sets? Should I get rings on all my players quickly (can't afford to not score for that color!) or get jewels first? How can I best use my tokens? These aren't agonizing decisions, but it is quickly apparent that players can use different routes to win. The dice have some affect on a player, but because of the custom dice, luck is very minimal in the game, and movement of pieces is much more important. 6). Time and Amount of Players: The game moves along really quickly, and is a good 30-45 minute game, that doesn't wear the players out. The game is much more strategic with two, since when you play with four players, many jewels and eggs are picked up by the other players during their turns, with less recourse from you. 7). Fun Factor: The game is not a rip-roaring game of laughter and fun, but we did heartily enjoy it. As with many Knizia games, the theme is plastered on a mechanic. But, because of the dice tower and incredible artwork, it works! So I recommend this game highly. It's one that works well with both children and adults, and really isn't solely for either age group. The wonderful pieces, the easy to learn rules, and the fun time the game provides makes this a worthy game that you should investigate to see if it should be in your collection! Back to Table of Contents -- Game! #1 To Game! List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by George Phillies. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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